


Books Bound in Violet Leathers

by CelticxPanda



Series: The City is Contagious [5]
Category: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Aged-Up Turtles, F/M, Gen, Late Night Conversations, One-Sided Attraction, University, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:21:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28271571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelticxPanda/pseuds/CelticxPanda
Summary: In which Donatello and the Night Shift Librarian learn a bit more about each other (and Don is already smitten).
Relationships: Donatello (TMNT) & Original Female Character(s), Donatello (TMNT)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The City is Contagious [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2063859
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18





	Books Bound in Violet Leathers

“Hey, Donnie?”

Donatello didn’t look up from the book he’d been reading, but he did make a noise of acknowledgement. 

“How come you came to this library?” Meg asked, sliding Donnie’s previous book back onto the shelf in its proper place. “We’re not exactly known for our engineering and all that nonsense.”

Donatello looked up from his book at that point, smiling and pointing towards the edge of the walls where they met the ceiling. “The lack of cameras, for one.” 

Meg paused, fingertips tapping on the cover of the next wayward book in her arms. She’d never really thought about it, but Donatello was right. Because the building was so old, it was protected by like, a million different historical societies. Keeping the building updated with the latest technologies was a pain in the ass because of all the hoops they had to jump through. To this day the heating system sucked because it was just the one from the 1850s but with new pipes. 

Now, there were cameras, but only in two very specific rooms: the office with the safe where the library kept cash collected from fines, and the restoration room where the librarians painstakingly restored some of the oldest books Meg had ever seen. When someone fucked up in there, the university hunted them down with a vengeance. 

“And for two?” she asked, squatting down to return another book to its rightful place. 

“It’s open late,” Donatello said with a casual shrug. “I like not having to worry about lights and potentially drawing attention to myself.

“Besides, you’re here. I like the company.” 

Meg flashed him a smile. “Meg Gordon, Pissy Library Aide Extraordinaire, at your service.” 

“Speaking of which,” Donatello said, “Do you call all the library patrons ‘inconsiderate dickwaffles’ and ‘bitch-ass motherfuckers’?” 

“Ha! Only my favorites,” Meg said with a particularly wild grin. “In all seriousness, only in my head. I need this job way too much to even consider cursing people out. Even though sometimes I’m really tempted.” 

Donatello put his book down, staring at her with confusion on his face. “Couldn’t you just get another job?”

“In this economy?” Meg joked. Her smile fell under Donatello’s continued confusion and concern. She sighed, setting the books down and taking a seat next to him on the floor. “Honestly? Yeah, I probably could, but it’d likely take months. And then I wouldn’t have my schooling covered, so I’d have to drop out. 

“And you wouldn’t be able to hang out in here anymore, either, so that’d suck.” 

“I suppose that’s true,” Donatello agreed. “What are you going to school for, I don’t think you’ve mentioned.”

“International Studies,” Meg said. “Right now I’m going for my Master’s in International Relations.”

“What’s that like?” 

“It’s mostly a lot of history and political science,” Meg explained, shrugging. “The economics part of it kicks my ass most of the time, but that’s okay.”

“So you want to be a politician?” Donatello asked. His attention was usually all over the place when he came in, bouncing between books and whatever tech schematics he brought in. Half the time it didn’t even seem like he could hear what Meg was saying with everything else he was doing. But now, his focus rested squarely on her. It was kind of intimidating. 

“No,” Meg laughed nervously. “Not at all.” Her expression grew a bit wistful, fingers tapping absently on the worn denim fabric of her jeans. “I want to send kids abroad, so they can learn things from a different perspective and grow into better, more empathetic people.”

She glanced up, catching the odd flush on Donatello’s cheeks as he stared at her. He seemed...awed almost. Like he was seeing her in a new light, or whatever that cliche was. Be a weird thing to feel about someone you’d only really known for like, a week, but whatever. What did she know?

“That’s kind of amazing, Meg,” he said, smiling shyly. 

“I mean, I don’t know why else someone would want that kind of job,” she said, head tilting to meet her shrugging shoulders as a feeling of sheepishness overcame her. ‘Amazing’ was never a word she associated with herself. It was weird to hear someone else use it to describe any part of her. “I also want to write. I used to do it all the time when I was younger, but with my job and my studies, I just don’t have the time or energy anymore.”

Donatello’s expression fell, which made Meg feel bad. She didn’t want to make him sad, dammit. Guh, he was just too easy to talk to. It made it all too easy to overshare.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said, waving the idea off by physically waving her hand. She stood, leaning heavily on Donatello’s shoulder to do so. Ugh, stupid knees. You’d think with all the walking she did in New York she’d be thinner or in better shape, but nope. “It was a pipedream anyway.” 

“It doesn’t have to be,” Donatello argued mildly, almost like he wanted to encourage her. 

“Yeah, but I’m not worried about it,” she said, picking the books back up and returning to her shelving. “I’ll deal with that delusion of grandeur once I get my Master’s.” 

Donatello stared at her for a long moment before shaking his head and returning to his books. “You’re a strange one.”

“Ha! Says the mutant turtle man.” She looked at the books in her arms, walking down the row to put the next one back in its proper place. “What would you have gone to school for, if you could have gone to school?”

“Engineering of some sort,” Donatello said easily. “Or maybe computer science.”

“Yeah, I probably could have guessed that,” Meg said with a laugh.

“But I think I’m glad I didn’t.”

“Oh?” Meg returned the book to its home, shoving the bookend back into place to close any gaps. 

“You said this school doesn’t have a very big engineering program,” Donatello reminded her.

“Yeah, I did,” Meg said, standing on her toes to reach the final book’s shelf. “It’s computer science program isn’t half bad. Fills up fast, though.”

“Well, that just means if I went for either of those, I wouldn’t be able to go to school here.”

Meg rocked back onto her heels, book still in hand. She looked his way, unsure where he was going with this. Who cared if he went to this school or not? With his brain, he could probably get into MIT or something like that. “So?”

Donatello looked up at her with a disarming smile. “Well, if that happened, I wouldn’t have met you.” 

Meg blinked, stunned speechless. What was she supposed to say to that? She turned back to the shelves, a nervous energy buzzing in the center of her chest. Shaking her head, she stood on her toes once more, returning the final book to the shelf.

“Whatever you say, Donnie.”

**Author's Note:**

> I've written so many of these in like, three days it's not even funny. My babies are adorable and this shit is cleansing. Hold on to your butts, because this is gonna be some slow burn bullshit lol.
> 
> Thanks for chilling in the good vibes with m and my friends. I hope you continue to enjoy our self-indulgence~
> 
> Happy Holidays <3


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